Georgia's Brother
by banannabee
Summary: The classic plot line. Girl meets boy. Girl hates boy. Girl gets hurt. Boy helps girl. Girl loves boy. Max babysits the boring Fang's little sister. When she moves to his town and has a lot of classes with Fang, will she realize that Fang isn't so boring? And when Max is sexually assaulted by someone she trusted, how will she cope? Will Fang be there to help her? FAX
1. I Babysit the Cutest Girl Ever

**So, as anyone who has read my previous story, Anything But Average, would know, this is my new story: Georgia's Brother. I threw around quite a few plot lines for this story, and eventually went with this one. I even cast a vote, but it was a tie. So, I went with the one story that had a lot of good points from reviewers.**

** It's deep, but then again, so were the other plots. It was a choice of either: Iggy becoming blind, which was my first choice, Fang have an addiction to crack/alcohol (which I decided not to even put in a vote number, for)a, or Max being sexually abused. Of course, I chose the third one, even though it's been done many times before. I wanted to change the way people look at this topic. But don't ****steal those ideas! I might still act on the one about Iggy! I'm thinking I could co-write it with a good friend of mine. I find that not enough stories are about Max's friends having problems, and her having to deal with it.**

**But, of course, I decided that this one was the way to go for me.**

**I hope you guys like the first installment! :)**

**Daily Question: If you had to choose one color of a shirt to wear for the rest of your life, what would it be? Keep in mind, you can wear as many different shirts as you want, but they have to be the same exact color. **

**Read on, and please review!**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride.**

* * *

"Hey, Georgia," I said, picking her up as I walked in the door. I slid my bag over my shoulder and wrapped my other arm around the little black haired beauty I was holding. I hugged her tight, and then set her down in the living room. I checked my watch. I was right on time. 2:30.

"Hi Max! Are we going to do something fun today?" Georgia said, pushing a lock of her hair out of her brown eyes. I smiled.

"Don't we always?" I said.

"Yes…" she said, and laughed.

I looked around. The house was a bit of a mess, and she looked really energetic today. I'd have to give her some health food. The dishes weren't done, either, and there was a basket of laundry. Mrs. Worthers must've had an early morning.

I had a mental list of what needed to be done, so I set to work.

"Hey, Georgia, honey, you wanna watch a movie?" I asked her. I sat down on the blue couch with the basket of laundry. I looked at Georgia and she sat next to me.

"Can we watch Pocahontas?" she asked me, her gorgeous eyes wide. My heart swelled. I was so lucky to be able to baby sit such a sweet little girl.

"Of course."

I went to the movie shelf and found the VHS version. I stuffed it in the tape player and fast-forwarded through all the commercials. Once it was set to go, I swept up Georgia and set her down in the middle of the couch. She giggled as I tickled her, and when I stopped, she immediately started to sing along with the men boarding Ratcliffe's ship. It's safe to make the assumption that we watched this movie a lot.

I sat down a few feet away from her, on the couch, humming along out of tune as I folded Georgia's brother's laundry. Out of all the times I've done laundry at this house, most times it was his. He never seemed to do his own chores.

Once I was done with that, I brought the basket with all of his folded laundry up to his room. I set it outside his door on the ground. Georgia's brother was at practice right now. He stayed after school everyday for hours with different events. He played soccer in the fall, he did basketball in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring. On top of that, he had math team and homework club.

I certainly wouldn't be able to handle all of that on my schedule. But, I'm thankful that he can, because that means I get to swoop in while Georgia's family is away at school and work and take care of her. I stay until nine o'clock most nights. I don't mind most of the time, but I do miss being able to hang out with my friends. JJ and Sam always hang out on nights that I can't, and when I can hangout, they're busy. Figures.

_Well, I guess that's not a problem anymore,_ I thought as I picked up the dishes from all around the house. I set them in the sink and started to wash them with warm, soapy water. My mom wanted to move closer to her work in Kokas, so we decided to move two towns closer. Actually, we were moving in a few streets away from the Worthers. She heard it was a great neighborhood, probably much better than our current one. We lived with drug addicts a few houses away.

I checked the clock and realized it had only been forty-five minutes since I started working. The dishes were all done now, and I set to cleaning up the rest of the house. I went into the cleaning closet and grabbed the broom, the swiffer, and the duster.

Once I'd put all of Georgia's toys and Mr. Worthers' books away, I started in on the floors. It took twenty minutes to finish them, and once I was done I set Georgia down at the table for her snack. She'd finished the movie five minutes before I was done, and was waiting patiently at the table for me to finish up.

I grabbed some carrots and celery out of the fridge and sliced them up. She loved celery, but I was trying to get her used to eating carrots.

"They're good for my eyes," she said and sighed. I laughed, and sat down across from her, watching to make sure she ate all of them.

"That's right." I said. She bit into one and cringed. I tried getting her mind off the carrots. "Hey Georgia, did you know I'm moving really close to you in a few weeks?" I said.

"Yay!" Georgia screamed. Grinning, she shoved the rest of a carrot in her mouth. "Are we going to be neighbors?" she asked.

I nodded. "In a way," I said. She crunched on another carrot with glee.

"I'm so happy!"

I grinned. All of her carrots were gone now. Inside, I triumphantly raised my fist.

"Alright, you done?" I said, motioning to her plate. She nodded, and then stuck out her tongue for me to see. "Good job! Now, what time is it?"

She looked at the clock and scrunched up her cute little five-year-old nose. "It's…. four o'clock."

"Good job, but you know that's not what I meant," I said, giving her the look. She pouted for a minute.

"But I hate cleaning my room!" she said.

"Me too, but we all have to do it. Otherwise we'd smell gross!" I said, and ran to tickle her in the chair. I bent down and she shied away as I tickled her. She'd tried not to laugh for a few seconds, but then grinned.

"Race you to my room!" she yelled, running away from me. I laughed, and raced her up there. I let her beat me by quite a few feet, just so she would feel better about having to clean her room.

"Beat ya," she taunted, crossing her arms over her chest. I smiled.

"You did, you beat me. You beat the unbeatable Mackenzie Strider! I can't believe it! Oh no! I'm dying of shame, cough, cough, help me!" I said, dramatically flinging a hand to my forehead and sinking to the ground. I stuck out my tongue for good measure. Georgia gasped.

"Oh no! She's dead!" She threw her little body over me and slapped my face a few times. I revived myself, and sat up coughing.

"You saved me!" I said in false awe. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ahem."

I heard Georgia's brother behind me.

"Oh, hey, Fang. You're home early," I said, standing up and pulling down my shirt. I laughed to myself on the inside. I moved my unruly blond hair behind my ear.

"Yeah, club was cancelled. You can go, if you want," he said, moving into the room to hug Georgia with a hello. She grinned up at her big brother, and I smiled. I could tell he was a great brother.

"Yeah, alright, I'll just finish up cleaning her room with her, then I'll be on my way out."

He nodded and moved out of the room and down the hall with his black leather jacket slung over his shoulder. He opened the door to his room and picked up the basket of laundry. I turned to Georgia.

"Do you have to leave?" she said. I nodded.

"But first, let's fast tidy your room! Quick! Quick!"

* * *

I set my car keys on the table in the entryway and grabbed an apple from the bowl. Munching on the apple, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. There were boxes everywhere in the house, and I tried not to focus on them.

I wasn't overly sad about leaving the house. I didn't really have a deep attachment to it, but I would miss all the people I'd be leaving behind. Sam and JJ were some of my closer friends, and I think I'd even miss a few teachers. Well, bothering them, anyways. I don't think I'd miss the teachers themselves, but some of them were a lot of fun to harass.

I stepped over a big box to get to my bed. I flopped down and let out a breath of air. I would definitely call this one of the more busy days of babysitting. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, and when I woke up it was seven thirty.

I shot out of bed and ran down stairs, almost tripping over a box that was labeled kitchenware. I think I heard a few crashes within the box….

"Mackenzie, what was that?" I heard my mom's boyfriend yell.

"Uh… Nothing!" I said. I walked into the kitchen. It was completely bare except for a few boxes and two plates set out with dinner on them. I smiled. "Hey, Aaron," I said. "How was work?"

Aaron sighed. "It was long." He ran a hand through his graying hair.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm. How was school?" he said. We both sat down at our places at the dinner table and grabbed our forks.

"It was okay. Nothing special happened." I said. In reality, I was hit on by a strange freshman, but it wasn't really something I was going to tell my mom's boyfriend. Besides, it didn't really affect me. I'd had guys ask me out before. Heck, Sam had asked me out before, and we went on a date without my mom even knowing it at all. Besides, Aaron wasn't the kind of guy who really cared about that type of thing.

"Oh? And how was Ms. Georgia today?" he said, smiling fondly. Aaron and Georgia's dad were college buddies, and that's the main reason I got the babysitting job. He recommended me to the Worthers.

"She was good. Hyper, but I calmed her down. I cleaned the house, did the laundry, gave her a healthy snack, did the dishes..." I thought for a moment. "Oh, and I helped her clean her room. Then Fang came over early and I left," I said.

"Good. I'm glad you can help out so much," he said. I nodded, and we both took a few more bites of turkey meatloaf. "Are you friends with that boy?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Not really. I don't know him that well," I said. "He seems okay, but I don't know if we're the same kind of people, y'know?" In reality, he was quite the pretty boy. If I thought he was actually interesting as a person, I'd be all over that boy like a chocolate chip cookie with extra gooey insides. Truth is, I thought he was kind of boring, and goodie-two-shoes-ey.

"Mm. You should try befriending him. You'll be going to his school next week," he said. My eyes widened.

"Next week?!" I said. "Mom said we weren't moving for another two weeks!"

"Yes," he stuttered, "but your mother and I have been talking."

Aaron swallowed.

"And you just decided we could uproot our lives a few weeks early? I haven't even said goodbye to my friends." I said.

"I'm sorry, Mackenzie-"

"It's Max," I said, glaring at him.

"Max, we feel like doing it sooner rather than later would be more helpful," he said.

"Well, do I get a say in this?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"We've already decided, Mackenzie, I'm-"

"It's _Max_, Aaron," I said, shoving my chair away from the table and stomping into the living room. My stomach gurgled, so I walked back, grabbed my plate, and then headed upstairs, blushing.

"You know, I think I should get a say, since your not the only ones living here!" I yelled at the top of the stairs. I could tell he was just done.

Well, good, because I was _so_ done. I don't get why parents don't realize that their kids have a lot in their lives, too. I hadn't even _told_ my friends that I was moving. I sat down hard on my bed with the meatloaf in my hands. I stuffed a large bite in my mouth and chewed. Stupid parents.

Within half an hour, my mom had gotten home, and it was quarter after eight. I assumed that Aaron had filled her in, and she came up the stairs to my room.

Anne Strider was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and everytime I saw her, I forgot that I was mad at her. She was strict sometimes, but she always had that soft side that I could always wiggle it's way into me and get what it wanted. The pros of being her daughter were big, but sparse. The cons were little, but came in bunches. She was a great mom, but sometimes I wished she would just see it from my point of view.

"Mac, we have decided it would be better to move sooner, and I'm sorry that you don't see it that way, but that's the end of it," she said. She crossed her arms in front of her, and I did the same thing.

"If that's the end of it, you could have been a little more considerate in giving me a chance to say goodbye to everyone." I said.

"You are completely right, and I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner," she said, dropping her arms and sitting down on the bed beside me. She pushed her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled with warm brown eyes. "I had asked Aaron to tell you sooner, and I assumed he had done it on Sunday, but, apparently, he 'forgot.'" she said. I smiled.

"You think he's scared of my wrath?" I said.

"We both know he's scared of women," she said. We laughed. "Come on, let's put on some good workout music, and power through the rooms we haven't packed yet. I think we still have to do the office," she said. I nodded.

"Okay."

I finished up my meatloaf and ran down to the kitchen to set the plate and fork in the sink. When I got back upstairs, we started packing.

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**Review please, and tell me what you think of my first chapter :) I like critiques on my plot line, or suggestions, even! Please answer the daily question, too :) It's a new thing I'm trying.**


	2. I Tell My Friends I'm Moving

**Hey guys, sorry it's been so long. So, apparently, like four or five days after I posted the first chapter, I got grounded. Two weeks later, here I am, hurrying to type out a 2513 word chapter, just to appease you. I hope you don't all hate me :) I'll try to be better with my "attitude" and my "disrespect" in the future. Haha.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm still trying to get into the swing of writing again, after it's been so long since I gave a crap about my writing. :D haha**

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As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. We'd packed up the entirety of the office last night, as well as finished what was left of the kitchen to pack. The myriad of boxes were stacked in a tower in our living room. I'd set the last box up and trudged up the stairs to my room.

The next morning, as I was walking to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I tripped over a stray box in the hall and hit my head on the wall.

"Frig," I whispered, getting up. I felt my head for any bumps, and continued into the bathroom. As I peered in the mirror, I noticed dark circles under my eyes and groaned.

"Ugghh," I said, pulling my skin down to look more deeply at the imperfections on my face. I had a zit on the corner of my forehead. Great. The last day at Turnippe Memorial High, and they'll remember me looking like absolute crap.

I gave up trying to figure out how to get rid of it and washed my face with cold water. I grabbed my tooth brush and brushed my teeth as I walked back into my room to find a suitable outfit. Maybe if I wore something cute enough it would distract them from looking at my face.

I grabbed a t-shirt out of a box and shrugged it on. Eh, clean enough. I took it off and grabbed my jeans and some clean under garments and headed back into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

I trudged down the stairs with my bag on my shoulder. Grabbing some bread, I shoved it in the toaster, then pulled up a chair and sat down to tie my converse. I wasn't exactly looking forward to school. I had no idea how my friends would react. I mean, it's not every day that someone drops a bomb like this on their friends.

I sighed and walked over to the toaster, waiting for it to pop. As soon as it did, I kicked the cupboard.

"Oh my frigging word, how can I turn away for three seconds and have this burn?"

It's happened enough times that I really shouldn't be surprised anymore, but_ come on_. I'd like to have something in my stomach for school. Seeing as peanut butter, jelly, bread, and a toaster was really all we had left in the kitchen, I realized that I'd be going to school hungry.

I threw the toast in the trash bag hanging on the doorknob of the closet and grabbed my bag, walking towards the door. I snatched my keys off the entryway table and left.

I drove into the Turnippe parking lot and parked my car. I jogged into the school with my bag slung over my shoulder, my stomach churning is suspense. Stopping inside the doorway, I looked around at the haphazard halls. My last day at Turnippe Memorial High.

I can't say honestly that I'll miss this place a lot. Most of the people here are stupid and don't do their work. I would miss the familiarity, and that's about it. The few friends that I have I'll miss a lot, and I'm not that good at making friends. Whatever, I can find new ones.

I took another glance around the halls and saw JJ and Sam over by their lockers and jogged over to them.

"Hey, guys," I said.

"Hey, Max," JJ said, and smiled. Sam nodded in greeting.

"So..." I said. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to tell them... How could I? _Hey guys, I know we're best friends an' all, but I'm moving this weekend, so bye, have fun without me._ They had no idea that I was moving. I mean, technically, _I_ hadn't even known until twelve hours ago. I _was_ under the impression that I had a few more weeks until we moved to Kokas.

JJ and Sam waited for me to speak.

"I have something to tell you guys," I said, pushing some blonde hair behind my ear. I swallowed thickly. The bell rang as I opened my mouth to speak again, providing a suitable reason for my "I love you guys and I'll miss you" speech to be said some other time. JJ rolled her eyes.

"Okay, tell me in French class!" she called over her shoulder. Sam followed behind her.

"I'll see you in English," he said. I nodded.

Walking to homeroom, I rolled my eyes. _Great, that "goodbye" moment was a bust._

As Mr. Jerms took attendance, I yawned. When the bell rang, I left, rubbing my eyes. I walked to my first block class, geometry with Mrs. Coories.

As she taught the lesson, I stared at my text book with a fervor that couldn't compare to anyone else's. I paid no attention to what she was saying. Coories droned on about Special Right Triangles and I rolled my eyes. This lesson won't matter anyways. They'll probably be teaching something completely different at Kokas High. Instead, my thoughts were consumed with the inevitable moment where I'd have to let go of my friends, and move to a new town, where the only friend I had was a four year old girl named Georgia.

How could I gently imply to my friends that I was going to be moving this weekend? _Surprise, I'll probably never see you again!_

It was kind of intimidating to think about, actually. It's not that I have loads of friends or anything, but I have a good set up here. The teachers know me, I know where all their buttons are, and I can press them easily. Everyone in school knows me. It's fun. I don't have to live up to any reputation except for being obnoxious. And hey, it's not like it doesn't come naturally.

I perused the clock above the door. It said 8:30. This is going to be a long day.

* * *

By the time French class rolled around I was seriously thinking about faking sick and going home early. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a weenie, and I'm definitely not a down-and-out kinda girl. I'm strong.

Now, obviously, I'm not going to actually fake sick. I wouldn't do that to my friends. They deserve to know I'm moving. Not that knowing this makes it easier to tell them.

Whatever, I'm over it. I can tell her, and we'll just move on. She may be my best girl friend, and that won't change just because I'll live an hour away from her, but we'll get over the unfamiliarity of not having each other around. She's got Sam, and I'll make some new friends.

A plethora of reassurances rang out through my mind, and as I sat down in my seat in front of Mr. Forbes desk I knew I'd be able to tell her. Even if I really wasn't good at making new friends.

A minute later, JJ walked into the room and sat down next to me. She threw her bag on the floor and her hands in the air.

"I haate global studies," she said. I smiled.

"Me too," I said, "I didn't think the history of the Middle East could be so disengaging, and I usually don't mind that class."

JJ and I laughed.

"Hey, you said that you had something to tell me?"

"Yeah, I do." I said, and I swallowed. "I'm moving."

"WHAT?!" JJ yelled. She stood up so fast that I had to blink to make sure I wasn't seeing things. "YOU ARE SO NOT SERIOUS!"

I know it really wasn't the time, but I started laughing so hard.

She sat down, and the teacher walked in, spouting nonsense about opening our books to a certain page. Mr. Forbes, or, Mr. Fancy Pants, as I call him, is probably the most OCD teacher in our school. His hair is always slicked back with a pound of gel, there's never a sign of gruff on his jaw, he rearranged his tie every three seconds, and his bottle of hand sanitizer was bigger than a gallon of milk.

Truth is, I'm gonna miss "getting sick" in this guys classroom.

"Mackenzie Ann Strider, I swear, if you're shitting me, I'm going to go find a gun and shoot your foot," she whispered, quite aggressively. I grimaced, and JJ's slightly relieved smile fell off her face after a few seconds. "Wait, so… you're really not kidding?" she said. I shook my head, and looked back down at my text book. I slipped my hair back into a pony tail, and concentrated on reading along with Mr. Fancy Pants. I tried to ignore the glare of betrayal I felt on my right ear. "Max…." she said.

I glanced at her and smiled.

"I'm moving to Kokras. Just found out myself," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught JJ slump at her desk, her arms crossed over her chest. "Sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say. JJ and I had been best friends since the fifth grade. We became friends the moment we saw each other, and I haven't regretted it ever since. She's always been there for me when I really needed her, and I've been there for her, too. I was truly going to miss hanging out with her. "Hey, tell Sam for me, will ya? I'd rather have him be over the shock by the time English comes around."

JJ nodded and didn't say anything else. She frowned for the rest of class.

* * *

"So," Sam said, cornering me in Mr. Udette's classroom. We sat at our respective desks and I waited for him to continue. Sam had been JJ and I's friend since freshman year. He went to a different middle school before Turnippe. He was a good friend, but after he asked me out last year, it kinda got awkward with him. I went on one date, but I ended it after that. It was too weird to go out with him. Especially since I knew JJ had a little crush on him. I told her I was just doing it so I wouldn't hurt his feelings. 't course I'd still miss him, but it wouldn't be hard to lose him, either.

"I hear you're moving to Kokas," he said.

"Yep."

"Hm."

For a few minutes, we more or less paid attention to the lesson. I wiped my hands over my face and couldn't wait for school to be over.

"You want some help packing?" Sam asked. He looked at me with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "JJ and I already talked about it. Whenever you're moving, we'd be up for it."

"Oh, well," I said, pushing my refusal down my throat. "If you're free tonight…."

"You're moving that fast?" he said. I nodded. "Oh. Well, I'm free if you want some help."

"Cool. Thanks man, that's really cool of you guys," I said with genuine enthusiasm.

"No problem."

By the time school was over, and JJ and Sam got into the car with me, I was feeling like the worst part was over. Then I realized that we would still have to go through the whole ordeal of saying goodbye for the last time. And I had a feeling that some gross emotions would be making a guest appearance.

The drive home was silent for the most part, except for the drone of the radio. Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas was playing on 94.9 The Mix. As I pulled into the driveway, I saw Aaron and Mom loading the trucks with boxes and furniture. I saw that they'd at least lugged all the boxes outside. Easier for us.

"Hey, JJ, Sam. Come to help out?" my mom asked. She smiled at them and handed a box to Aaron. He loaded it in the truck as Sam nodded. There were stereos inside the house blasting AC/DC.

"Good to see you, Ms. Strider," Sam said, and JJ gave Mom one of her winning smiles.

"Hey, Anne."

Mom smiled back at her and opened her arms for a hug from them both.

"I'm gonna miss you guys coming around all the time," she said in true mom fashion. She let go of them and shook her head. "Well, you might as well be useful," she said, motioning to the pile of boxes and laughing. JJ and Sam both grabbed a box, and I followed.

We hummed along to AC/DC and formed an assembly line, making it go by much faster. Within almost two hours, we were all packed in the trucks. Mom and Aaron went inside to go through and do one last check to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind. I glanced at the FOR SALE sign on the front lawn and sighed.

"Hey, Max, I'm really gonna miss you," JJ said, tearing up. I turned toward her and made sure I didn't tear up myself. That's just not how I roll.

"I'm really gonna miss you, too, JJ," I said. I smiled wryly and gave her a hug.

"I'll come visit you when I'm free, and we'll talk on the phone, okay?" she said. I laughed.

"Of course we will. I'm not dying," I said, laughing. She punched my shoulder, and then threw her red hair into a low pony tail. Her freckles were magnified by her trail of tears. I looked at Sam, running a hand through his curly brown hair, his blue eyes hidden between angry slits. "I'll miss you too, Sammy boy." I said with a smile. He gave a small one in return, but I could tell he was more upset than me about us bifurcating.

Now, Bon Jovi, in the middle of You Give Love a Bad Name, ceased to sing from the stereo in our house. I noticed Mom and Aaron coming out of the house with black speakers and locking the door behind them. Aaron wrapped an arm around my mother and they walked toward us.

"Ready, Max?" Mom said. I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Alright, you take the car, and follow us. JJ? Sam? You two have rides?" Mom asked them.

JJ held up her phone. "Yeah, I asked my mom if she could pick us up. She'll drop Sam off at his house."

My mom nodded. Aaron hopped into a truck and started it up. Mom hugged my friends one last time, then she got in a truck too. I gave my friends another once over. JJ seemed to be trying to smile, and Sam didn't seem to be trying at all.

"It's kinda weird, I'm still in that initial phase of shock, y'know?" she said. I nodded.

"Yeah, me too," I whispered. Sam just grunted. "I guess I'll see you guys around?" I said. They nodded together, sharing a sad glance.

"Alrighty. I'm off."

I gave them each one last hug, then hopped in my car. I beeped to let Aaron know that he could take off. Aaron pulled out of the driveway, Mom did the same a few seconds later, and then it was my turn. I glanced in the rearview mirror to look at them. I waved, and then put the car in gear, wincing at their expressions. I looked down the road at the two white trucks leading me.

Off to Kokas.

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**Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter two. Tell me what ya think :)**

**A review would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	3. I Make a New Friend

**New chapter! Again :) So, it's been three days and I still don't have a single review on the second chapter. Was it really that bad? :( Anyways, I hope you like this one better.**

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The drive to Kokas was slow going. I listened the radio as I drove along the interstate, humming along awfully. If you haven't caught it yet, I'm extremely tone deaf. I can appreciate good music when I hear it, and denounce it when I hear a bad singer, so I know that I'm not matching pitch.

Okay, so Georgia told me I sounded bad.

But hey, who says you have to sing because you're good? I sing because it's fun.

About an hour into the lonely drive, the trucks ahead of me started to take an exit. I followed them and I was led into a cutesy town. The houses were all pastels and neutral colors, and every house had a garden out front. Of course, I'd been here many times before. The neighborhood was nice enough, but I only knew the family of the Worthers.

A few minutes passed and I saw the Worthers' house. I smiled, committing the location to memory. A minute later Aaron pulled into the driveway of a two story, light pastell-y green house, with a dead garden out front, and a green lawn with a FOR SALE sign sticking out of it. There was a picket fence out back, and behind that there was a section of woods. I parked the car and unbuckled my seat belt, peering around the rear view mirror to get a better view.

I got out and made sure my tail end wasn't in the road, then I trudged up to where my mother and her boyfriend were staring at the front of the house.

"What do you think, Max?" Mom asked. I shrugged.

"It's okay," I said. "Want me to take down that sign?" I motioned with my thumb toward the front of the yard. She nodded.

"Thanks," she said. I jogged over to the front yard and pulled it up out of the ground. I walked back to Mom and she took the sign from me. "Shall we go inside?"

Aaron and I nodded and shrugged, respectively.

"Max, would you like the honor of picking out your room first?" Mom asked. I grinned.

"Uh, duh."

I ran in as soon as the door was opened and I found the stairs. I walked up and stopped inside the doorway at the end of the hall. It was a linen cupboard. The next one was a medium sized room with a large bed frame and mattress in the middle. It had two big windows on the east wall, and the floor was a really nice cherry color. The walls were painted a light gray, and the trim was a darker gray. The room was gorgeous, and it even had a closet with a bathroom beside it. I knew I didn't have to look any further.

"I call this room!" I yelled loud enough for them to hear. Mom smiled and came up behind me with Aaron at her side. She nodded, the corners of her mouth pulled down to complete the look of approval she gave me.

"Yeah, very nice," Aaron said. I smiled.

"Let's go see our room, Honey," Mom said, backing out of the room, pulling Aaron with her.

We trudged down the hall to see the second bedroom. The walls were a light peachy color with white trim and one large window on the North wall. Two smaller windows on the west wall were placed just right to bring in a great sunset view. Good thing I liked the sunrise better.

There was a huge walk in closet to the left of the room, and I ambled over to open the doors. To the left and right there were rods with a few bent, wire hangers, and right in the middle, there was another door. I swung it open, and inside there was a master bathroom, with a huge tub, a large sink with a beautiful mirror, and more peachy tiles covering the ceiling, walls, and floors.

"Hey, your closet has some nice plumbing," I called over my shoulder.

"What?" Mom said. She ran toward where I was standing and gasped. "Ooh, Aaron, look at this bathroom!"

He strode over to us and peered over our shoulders. "Oh yeah, look at that," he said.

Suddenly, there was a ding-dong from downstairs.

"Wow, the neighbors must really want to meet us," I said. Mom and I laughed.

Aaron said, "I'll go grab that," and rushed down the stairs to answer the door. Mom and I followed slowly behind him.

At the door, two women were standing straight and smiling, with beach clothes and tan skin. I remembered that the beach a few miles away from Georgia's house, and now mine, I guess, was a popular place during the summer time. We had a few picnics with the Worthers last summer, and the beach was gorgeous.

"Hi," my mother said, sticking out a hand for them to shake, "I'm Anne Strider." Each woman took her hand with a smile.

"Max," I said, following my mother's lead.

"I'm Valencia Martinez, and this is my daughter, Ella," said the older lady. They both had straight black hair and finely tanned skin. "We live in this blue house right next to you," she said, pointing with her thumb. I looked through the kitchen windows to my left and saw it. Their gardens were beautiful.

"Well, it's good to meet someone already," my mom said with a laugh. "Come on in."

We led them into what I supposed was going to turn into the living room. The Walls were the same peachy tone as in my mother's room, and the trim was a dark gray, like in mine.

"I'd offer you a couch to sit on, but it's still in one of the trucks," Aaron said with a wry smile. Valencia laughed, and Ella smiled shyly. "Max, why don't you take Ella up to see your room?"

"We're not five, Aaron," I said to him. He frowned at me but I walked upstairs and motioned for Ella to follow me.

"So, what grade are you in?" Ella said.

"I'm a junior. You?"

"Same," she said with a smile. "So I guess we might have some classes together," she said.

"Yeah."

I turned the corner into my room and stood off to the side to let her in.

"Wow, nice choice. The colors are super cute," she said. "You know, I could help you decorate if you want! I want to be an interior designer when I get out of high school."

"Oh yeah? That's cool," I said with enthusiasm. "You can help me if you want, but you don't have to."

"No, that'd be super fun! I'd love to!" she said. I grinned. "Hey, do you need help bringing in your boxes?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No, no, that's okay," I said. Ella seemed pretty generous, and I respected that, but I didn't need to make her haul my things up for me.

"I insist," she said, walking out the door. "I think we're going to be great friends, and I know that you secretly want help with your boxes."

"Oh? And how do you know that?" I said, laughing.

"Uh, because no one wants to carry in boxes, much less _alone_," she said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, you got me," I said, following her down the stairs and out the front door. I walked over to the truck my mom had driven and opened up the back.

Ella hopped up before I could, and there was really only space for one person.

"Are these all your boxes?" she said, pointing to the fifteen or so boxes labeled "MAX'S - DON'T TOUCH."

"How can you tell?"

We both laughed and Ella leaned down to grab a box. She put it in my arms and I waited.

"Oh, I see how this is gonna be. You're one of those 'do it in the least number of trips possible' kinda girls," she said, her hands on her hips.

"Guilty," I said with chagrin.

She piled another box on top of the first and I made my way inside and up the steps. I set the boxes down carefully on my bed and turned to see Ella follow me in, two boxes in her arms.

"Yeah, I'm kinda one of those girls, too," she said. We laughed.

After five more trips from each of us, Ella and I sat down against the wall with heavy lungs.

"Wow, I'm so glad I didn't have to do that alone. Thanks man," I said, holding out my fist. It was something I'd done with JJ forever, and I was about to take it back, but, surprisingly, she fist bumped me.

"No problem, man," she said. "Hey," she pointed to the bed, "You wanna have a sleepover at my house?"

I paused.

"Wow, I haven't been here three hours and I already have a sleepover set up," I said, laughing. "And I thought I'd never make friends."

Ella laughed too, brushing her black bangs out of her face.

"Sure, if it's okay with our moms, I'd be okay with it," I said in response to her question. She grinned.

"Awesome! I haven't had a sleepover in for_ever,"_ she said.

I raised my eyebrows.

"Let's go ask your mom."

We both sauntered down the steps and into the living room area. "Maybe we can go shopping in the morning. Do you have decoration stuff for your room?" I shook my head. "Money?"

"Tons," I said. I've saved seven hundred dollars from babysitting. I've been babysitting Georgia since she was 3.

"Then we'll definitely have to go shopping. I'll show you all the best stores," she said with a smile. I inwardly groaned, just because of my experiences with JJ: that girl shopped for hours, and she had no money.

"Let's go ask your mom." We both sauntered down the steps and into the living room area. The adults were all standing around talking, Valencia spouting out different places around the town that were fun hangouts. She was talking about a laser tag joint on the other side of town, and I smiled.

JJ, Sam, and I had gone to this laser tag place called Laser Lasso. It was a stupid name, and it was really cheap looking, but at least once a month we'd go there and JJ and I would team up against Sam. He would "die" at least three times before he even shot one of us. It was hilarious. Looking back on it, I have no idea why Sam befriended us at all. He was funny sometimes, and sure he was cute, but there wasn't a whole lot to him. Maybe that's why he was friends with us, because we had more than enough personality to go around.

"I bring Ella and her friends there all the time," Mrs. Martinez said. There was a pause in the conversation as Aaron and Mom took it all in and nodded their heads, which Ella saw as a chance to bud in.

"Hey, Ms. Strider, can Max spend the night at our house?" Ella said, giving her a winning smile. My mom smiled with a shrug on her shoulders.

"If she wants to, of course," she said. She looked at me with the question on her face of 'if you really want to hang out with someone, I'm more than okay with it.'

I smiled. "Cool, thanks."

"Well, that was fast, Ella," Mrs. Martinez said. To my parents, she laughed. "Ella hasn't had a sleepover in _two whole days_, I'm sure she's so socially deprived," she said good heartedly. "Well, I guess we should get out of your hair."

Valencia and my mom shook hands again, and Mom said, "Thank you so much for coming over, it was great to meet you."

I ran upstairs to grab some clothes out of a random box, and then flew back down. Ella smiled in anticipation. "Ready?"

I nodded. "Yep," I said.

"Okay, well, let's go," Mrs. Martinez said. She ushered us out the door, and I could just tell by her every mannerism that she was a practiced mother. She must be in a line of work with children or something.

"I'll see you later, Honey," Mom said, kissing me on the forehead.

"Okay, bye," I waved as she shut the door behind me. I noticed the truck door was still open and shut it. I opened the door to the car and grabbed my wallet. I hurried to catch up the the Martinez's as they walked down the sidewalk to their house. Ella lulled a few steps to walk next to me.

"You want pizza?" she asked.

"Um, who doesn't want pizza at a sleepover?" I said. She shrugged.

"That's a legit point. You should be on the debate team," she suggested. I cringed.

"Ew, no, that'd be awful," I said. I grabbed my sides as if I was going to throw up. She laughed.

"I think so too," she said. We laughed like it was the funniest thing we'd ever heard.

I just knew that Ella and I were going to be great friends. Hey, I guess making friends in a new town won't be as hard as I thought.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :) Review!**


	4. I Feel Like I Make Progress

**New chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

I stepped inside the door of Ella's house. An overwhelming scent of chocolate chip cookies and pine filled my nostrils. It smelled homey. I looked around at the blue and white walls with sailing boats and starfish, the white cupboards, and dark furniture.

Ella kicked off her shoes in the entryway. Mrs. Martinez turn to me with wide arms. "Welcome to our home, Max!"

"Thanks," I said, placing my shoes beside Ella's. "Come with me," Ella said. "You can put your stuff in my room."

I followed her up the stairs and into her room. I was assaulted by the onslaught of green that appeared in her room. Her walls were bright green, there was a fuzzy rug on the floor that was green, her bedspread was mostly green. The trim in her room was a cream color, and she had a few posters on her walls of Green Day and the Kokas Green Theatre Team.

"Wow, you're really into green," I said.

"Yeah, it's kinda my favorite color."

"Shocking," I said. Ella laughed.

"You have the same type of humor as my friend Iggy," she said. I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. "He's a junior, like us. You should meet him, he's super cool."

"I'd like to hear all about your friends. God knows I'm going to need someone to hang out with," I said. I was legitimately worried about me being in classes where I didn't know anyone. It was a scary thought. How am I supposed to gain a rep as the obnoxious teacher's pest if I don't have anyone to laugh with me?

"Sure! I'm sure they'd love to meet you," she said. "Nudge is my best friend," she started. "She's super cool and friendly. She lives a few houses away from Iggy, who you already know of. Gazzy and Iggy are best friends, and Gazzy's really sweet on Nudge but neither of them really know it yet, so it's kind of on the down low. Iggy and I are trying to get them together, but, you know how well _that_ turns out. And then, we're also friends with-"

"Ella, sweetie, how about you ask Max if she wants to watch a movie with us?" Mrs. Martinez popped her head in the doorway and pursed her lips in a question.

"Yeah, sure," Ella said, nodding at her mother. Mrs. Martinez left the doorway. "We were going to watch

a movie tonight, would you care to join us?"

"Of course," I said. "What are you watching?"

"I don't know, it's mom's turn to pick," she said.

Ella and I traipsed down the hall and down the stairs into her living room. I sat down on her couch beside her.

Mrs. Martinez walked in with a bowl of popcorn and the remote.

"So girls, you ready to watch Gattaca?" she said. I nodded. "Good, because I'm super excited," she said, waving her hands in the air and throwing popcorn halfway across the floor. "Oops."

Ella and I laughed. Her mom sat down with a whistle like she was calling for a dog, then a few smooching noises.

I heard the jingle of bells on a collar and then a small, black and white, old cocker spaniel walked in wagging her fluffy tail.

"Magnolia, Mags," Mrs. Martinez said, snapping at the fallen popcorn on the floor. Magnolia scooped it up with her tongue like no one's business.

"Aww," I cooed uncharacteristically. I made smooching noises to attract Magnolia over. She scurried over and hopped up on the couch. Ella and I ruffled Magnolia's fur.

"What a cutie," Ella said. I heard Magnolia whine and the movie start up.

While we watched the movie, Magnolia would lick my hand whenever I took a break from petting her, coaxing me into petter her again. She was such a cute little dog.

When Gattaca finished with a fiery end, Ella and I got up and stretched. I yawned at the same time as Magnolia and smiled.

"That was an okay movie," Ella said with a smidge of distaste. I shrugged.

"I thought it was pretty good," I said. "I think it's cool that he knew he wasn't genetically enhanced all along."

"Yeah, that was pretty cool," Mrs. Martinez said. "I'm glad we watched it."

"Mom's a vet, so she's into that kinda science-y stuff," Ella said.

"Ooh," I said. "Should I be calling you Dr. Martinez or Mrs. Martinez?"

"Well, I'm not married, so let's go with Dr." Dr. Martinez laughed. Now that I think about it, Dr. Martinez sounds much better than Mrs. Martinez.

"Why don't you girls head on up to bed, it's getting late," she said, pointedly glancing out the windows where the sky was darkening fast. I nodded and got up slowly so I didn't wake up Magnolia. She'd fallen asleep near the end of the movie. Ella and I jogged up the steps, yawning.

"Are you tired?" she asked.

"No," I said with another yawn. We both laughed and walked into her green room. "So, are you a… tree-hugger? For lack of a better term?" I said. She shrugged.

"I mean, kind of, but not really. I just really love the color, y'know? I guess I used to be into it, but I was younger then." Ella flopped down on the bed, her bone-straight black hair swooshing around her head.

"So, what's the school like? People and teachers, I mean."

"Eh," Ella said, though it was muffled from the comforter she'd started cocooning into. She picked up her head to speak. "It's okay. My group of friends is obviously awesome, but everyone else is just 'eh.' And the teachers aren't the worse in the world. It's semi-private, so we get some cool staff."

I groaned aloud.

"Dang, that means it'll be harder to push their buttons," I said.

"Oh?"

"It's kinda my thing," I said, sitting down in a green chair at her white desk. "I like pushing people's buttons, finding out what makes them tick."

Ella frowned in thought. I hoped that she wasn't a goody two-shoes in that moment. If she was, I figured she'd never have me over again.

"You and Iggy will be great friends," she said finally with a glance in my direction. I smiled on the outside and frowned on the inside.

"What, are you afraid I'll become too friendly with him?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest and smiling triumphantly as she sat up with an incredulous gasp.

"What, no, that's, that's ridiculous," Ella sputtered. I grinned with my eyes and she scowled at me. "You can't tell anybody," she said. "Only Nudge knows, and I seriously regret even that, because that girl gossips like it ain't Gossip Girl's business."

I laughed at that, and nodded. "Of course I won't tell anyone," I said. "I'm more likely to keep a promise to someone I don't know very well then to someone I'm best friends with," I said truthfully. I remembered when JJ said that she had a crush on Joshua Peters in seventh grade and I went and told him just so he would ask her out. They went out for two years because of me.

"Oh, um, good to know," she said, awkwardly pushing her black hair from her tan face. I coughed.

"That is, I mean, unless it's like, really serious. I don't actually tell secrets that are like, super dark or anything," I said, trying to reassure her. It didn't work very well, so I told her what I meant, and explained the story of JJ and Joshua Peters. "But don't worry," I said quickly after, "I won't even hint at him. I don't know him, anyways."

This seemed to loosen Ella's wariness and I sighed in relief.

"So, what about you?" she said. I raised my eyebrows, prompting further explanation. "Like, I don't know, did you get to visit the school before you moved? Most kids do."

I shook my head. "Nah, I found out I was moving two weeks early last night."

"Holy crap, last night?!" Ella said with utter disbelief. I nodded in contempt.

"That was my reaction," I said. "I mean, luckily we'd had all but one room packed, but still. I had to say goodbye to both of my best friends today, and they had no idea I was moving until this morning."

Ella's shoulders sagged in sympathy and I brushed it off.

"What were they like?" she said, smiling apologetically.

"JJ was awesome. I think she'd like you," I said. "Sam was okay, but he also didn't really fit in with us, y'know? He was kinda just there."

"One of those guys, huh?" Ella said. "Been there. Okay, like, not to be mean or anything, I mean, I really like him, he's cool and everything, but there's this guy that hangs out with us. I mean, he's Iggy's best friend, but he's also kind of a loner, right? And he's Nudge's cousin, so I can't really tell him to shoo, y'know? But he's just so weird. Not in like that bad smelly way that people are sometimes, he just… he's like that one puzzle piece that looks right with the other ones, but the piece is a little too different to fit. It's weird."

"Yes! That's just how Sam is." I said with enthusiasm. "Like, you still think he's okay, and you wouldn't be mean to him, but you still don't really understand why he's there. There's like a missing link. For that piece to fit, there has to be one in between them, and that piece is just missing with Sam."

"Yeah, Fang too," Ella said, shoving her hair back into a pony as the conversation got more heated.

"Wait, wait, Fang?" I asked in surprise. "Fang Worthers?"

Ella went bug-eyed. "How do you know Fang?" she said.

I shook my head. "I don't, I mean, not really. I babysit his younger sister, Georgia." I stood up from the chair and hopped on the end of her bed. She scooted up against the wall and sat forward, leaning on her knees with her elbows.

"Isn't she just the most adorable little girl you've ever seen?" Ella said, squealing with delight. "Ugh, she's prettier than I am and she's 4."

"I feel the same exact way," I said, making a believe-me face.

"Hey, can I braid your hair while we talk?" Ella said. "You have gorgeous hair." I blushed and spit out a go ahead. I turned around for her and she played with my hair.

We continued through the night talking about school and friends and the _actual_ cool places to hang out in the town, contrary to what her mother said. I took in every piece of information that I could. She listed off the spring activities.

It was early February in this Arizona town, freezing at night, hot in the daytime, and beautiful every minute. I had a new friend, we were bonding through hair and conversation, and I never thought that I'd see the day. I'm honestly surprised that in seven hours, I did so many new things. I've never even been in the same house as a dog before, if you can believe that.

"Hey, in the morning," Ella yawned as she looked down at me on the floor from her spot on the bed, "let's go shopping at Zesta's, they have the best home decorating stuff. Then I can help you decorate and style your room."

I smiled, catching Ella's yawn. I was nestled in a flurry of blankets on Ella's green rug, leaning on my hands. "Okay."

Ella switched off the lamp on the bedside table and we were both out like the lights.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! I know I said that Ella would introduce Max to someone new this chapter, but I haven't really had a lot of time to work on it. My brothers graduating from college in a few weekends, and we're trying to get all the invitations sent out and stuff. I'll post this, though. It's pretty close to 2500 words. Close enough anyways. I promise you'll meet Iggy next chapter! :) Review!**


	5. I Get a Room Makeover

**Chapter five :) Read on. By the way, I hate shopping just as much as Max would, so I'm probably going to skip through most of that part.**

* * *

I woke up to the loud snoring of someone above me. My eyes fluttered open and I peered around at the now-familiar green surroundings. Glancing up, I noticed Ella's mouth open wide. I wondered idly if she knew that she snored.

I stretched my arms high above my head and sat up in my blankets. With a yawn, I crawled out of the pile of green that I slept in and, as quietly as I could, opened the door and slipped out. I tiptoed down the hall and down the stairs, hoping to find Dr. Martinez awake somewhere down stairs.

Sure enough, Dr. Martinez was at the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Good morning," I said, sitting comfortably at the island. Dr. Martinez turned and smiled.

"Good morning, Max," she said. "Ready for some chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, sitting up straighter. In my family, the only person who could cook was Aaron. My mom and I were admittedly lethal in the kitchen. I've rarely eaten breakfast cooked by a woman. JJ's mom was pretty good at cooking, but, like I said, we hadn't hung out enough since sophomore year to be eating breakfast together at her house.

"Here you go," she said politely, handing me a glass plate with a stack of pancakes perched on top and a fork beside them. "There's syrup in the fridge and butter on the counter, help yourself."

I got up and opened the fridge, checking the door for syrup. I grabbed the Mrs. Butterworth's bottle of gooey, sticky goodness, and then snatched the butter dish off the counter. Sitting back down to my plate, I heard Ella shuffling down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey, Max," Ella said groggily. "Hey, Mumma."

"Hey, honey, ready for pancakes?"

Ella slumped over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her waist. Dr. Martinez hugged Ella to her side.

"Mmm, pancakes," Ella slurred.

"Not a morning person?" I bud in. She laughed.

"How can you tell?" she said with a yawn. I chuckled and shoved some pancake smothered with butter and syrup in my mouth. The pancakes were just…. I knew at that moment that I'd probably be going to the Martinez household every morning for breakfast. The warmth in my mouth tasted of pure bliss and speechlessness.

"Mmmm…."

"That's what everyone says," Ella said with a groggy laugh. "Everyone loves Mom's cooking," Ella bragged. Dr. Martinez audibly sighed.

"Quit bragging about me and eat your breakfast. I'll take you to Zesta's if you promise to clean the house when you get home today," she said. Smart move. Mom: 1. Ella: 0. That was definitely something my mom would pull. Ella groaned in protest.

"Fiine." she said.

"Good, now eat your breakfast and go get dressed," Dr. Martinez said.

* * *

Zesta's Department Store was a locally owned interior and exterior design warehouse. Apparently, Ella was a frequent customer, because she was greeted by an employee as soon as she stepped through the door.

We'd been shopping for at least an hour and a half, and Ella was constantly asking how much money I was willing to spend. I'd brought along one hundred dollars, and we were carefully buying things that would interest me and weren't too expensive. So far we had a couple of cool posters illustrating New York, a few bean bags in green (of course) black, and red. I told Ella that if we just got green and red it would look like I was a Christmas fanatic. She agreed.

Ella asked me what my favorite color is, and I answered red. So we picked up some cheap, eight dollar curtains and a red fuzzy rug, which she insisted upon. We had roughly sixty dollars left when she asked if I was interested in buying a bedding set. We looked at them, and found one within our budget, so I picked it up. It was a $49.99 red and black indian patterned comforter, sheets and pillow cases included.

I usually don't care much about what's in my room. The architecture of a room interests me, but the stuff in it is kind of unnecessary. But I was being offered a chance to put something cool in my room. What could it hurt? I spent most of my time in there, anyways. My desk, my music, my bed, my windows. Those are things that I use all the time. Might as well make it more interesting.

Besides, I was getting a cool friend out of it all. And, you know, I was also getting a lot of help lugging stuff up to my room.

So when we got up to the register to pay, I barely cringed giving the cashier $97.98.

"Okay, I'll call my mom to come pick us up," Ella announced and I nodded. We were standing on the sidewalk of the Halifax Mall. When Ella got off the phone with her mom, she led me down the sidewalk to a coffee shop.

"This is Jazz's Java," she said. Inside, I was assaulted with the pungent smell of coffee beans and baked goods. It wasn't so overpowering that I couldn't stand it, but it was definitely _there_. It was a good smell, it was warm.

"Ella!" a guy's voice called across the coffee shop. I looked up from the seat I was sliding into and saw a handsome boy grinning at Ella. He had light, reddish hair, and pale skin. His blue eyes were so obviously into Ella that I knew he liked her.

"Iggy, hi," she said. "Iggy, this is my friend Max." She pointed to me with her thumb and I waved.

"Oh, hi," he put in. "I'm Iggy." He stuck out his hand for me shake and I took it.

"Nice to meet you," I said. He nodded, then motioned to his table behind him.

"Uh, I guess you're busy, so, I'll see you on Monday. We can talk about Club," he said.

"Yeah, sure," Ella purred. "See ya."

Iggy went and sat back down with a really pretty girl who had dark brown hair. She was pretty big, but that didn't stop her from being noticeable. She was sitting next to a guy with blonde hair and freckles. He was wiry but had broad shoulders. When Iggy sat down, I could just tell they were all drama kids. Big smiles, talking animatedly with their hands, nodding vigorously. I laughed.

"Are you a drama kid too?" I asked Ella, implying that I knew they were drama kids.

"How could you tell?" she said slowly, looking over her shoulder at the group.

"I'm good at reading people. Especially when they interact with other people like them," I said. "Besides, I saw that poster in your room."

"Oh, the Kokas Green Theatre Team?" she said.

"That's the one," I said. She smiled.

"Yeah, that was like, sixth grade, but high school drama is so much better. Ever been in a play?" she asked me.

"Yeah, I was in Peter Rabbit in third grade. I was a carrot."

"Hm."

"Yep."

I was suddenly struck with an odd thought. It was weird to be sitting at a coffee shop with someone I just became friends with, who I would already consider close to me, when not 24 hours ago I was saying goodbye to my best friends. My friends would be thinking of old memories and wondering how school would be like now, and I was out shopping with my new friend. It kind of made me feel guilty, but I didn't really have another option.

The door to the coffee shop opened and Mrs. Martinez appeared beside me.

"You ready to go, girls?" Dr. Martinez broke in.

"Yeah," Ella said. We grabbed the bags of decor and awkwardly waved a good bye to Iggy, who smiled and waved back.

Free from the small, bustling cafe, I let loose a sigh and took in a breath of fresh air.

"Max, are we dropping you and Ella off at your house, or do you wanna come to mine?" Dr. Martinez asked.

"I guess either one works-"

"Max's house," Ella interjected. I shrugged.

"I guess my house."

It took a few minutes to get home. Once Ella's mom pulled into the driveway I opened the door and shoved out with all my bags. Ella did the same.

Dr. Martinez drove to her house next door and parked. I saw her walk into her house out of the corner of my eye. My mom opened the door for us when we were close and she grinned at us, her eyebrows pinned up in surprise.

"What's all this?" she asked.

"Room decor," Ella said, politely moving past my mom and up the stairs.

"Well," my mom said. "Max, you've made a very good friend in record time." I rolled my eyes at my mother's comment.

"Ha ha."

Mom chuckled and closed the door behind me. I followed Ella up the stairs and down the hall into my room. After I set down my bags, I noticed that quite a bit more furniture was in my room. My desk was poised in the corner of the wall next to my closet, and my bedside table was situated on the left side of the bed, farthest away from the windows.

"Alright," Ella said with her hands on her hips. "Let's make this room uber cool."

* * *

I was laying on my completely clean, cleared off bed, staring at the "uber coolness" that was my room. My floor to ceiling windows were bordered in red translucent fabric. My bed was covered with the indian patterned comforter and sheets and pillows, and my floor was layered with the fuzzy red rug I'd bought. In the corner between my bed and big windows were my bean bags, stacked on top of each other. The walls were covered with cool New York scenes, like Central Park and Times Square.

Ella had left about an hour ago. We'd blasted music from my iPod dock on my bedside table while we worked, much to the annoyance of my mother. We collaborated on where everything was going to go, and the finished product looked really cool.

I checked the time. According to my iPod, it was 1:30.

Enjoying the paradise that was my room was fun and all, but I needed to get up and move around. Before I even thought about unpacking all of my boxes that were currently stacked in the hall, I thought about Georgia. I'd taken off work yesterday to move, and I never see her on the weekends, unless Aaron and Raymond, Georgia's dad, decided to plan a family get together, which really only happened in the summer.

"Mom!" I yelled. "I'm going to go see Georgia!"

"Okay!" Mom yelled back. I grabbed my iPod from its dock and grabbed a jean jacket from from my half packed closet. I jogged down the stairs and on my way out the door my mom stopped me in my tracks. "Hey, if they offer you to stay for dinner, I want you to say no. We have a lot of work to do here, and you're expected to help."

My mom looked me in the eyes and I groaned.

"Fiine."

Mom pushed her hair back into a headband and fixed her mom jeans back onto her hips. Her gray shirt had sweat stains and I snickered.

"What?" she said, checking herself over. "What?"

I left the house with a laugh, gleefully getting the last word.

I remembered where I saw the Worthers' house and tried to follow my brain's instincts as best I could. In ten minutes, I was walking up the driveway to the Worthers' front steps. Knocking on the door, I waited to see who would be home.

Mrs. Worthers opened the door.

"Mackenzie! How nice to see you," she said, stepping aside to let me in. I smiled and stepped inside the familiar house. I could tell there was a barbecue cooking out back, and I almost invited myself to stay and eat with them. Then I remembered what my mother said. Dang it.

"Good to see you too," I said.

"Georgia is outside with Ray and Nick," she said, sounding busy. I nodded my thanks and she went back into the kitchen to finish something as I moved towards the back door. I heard a scream from Georgia like she was being tickled to death and grinned. Pushing open the back door I saw Fang and Georgia laughing and screaming, respectively, and Raymond stood at a grill cooking up something that smelled delicious.

"Max!" Georgia shrieked, running at me like a freight train. She barreled into me and I toppled onto my butt with an 'oof!'"Max, you're here! I missed you yesterday! Fang had to babysit me and all he did was give me crayons and paper. He drawed with me and he was so bad at it. Are you ever going to babysit me again?" Georgia wondered hopefully. I laughed for a few seconds, then answered her.

"Of course I am, sweetie, I just had to move in next door," I said, poking her nose. She gasped and turned her head ninety degrees to her left. "Well, not exactly next door."

"Oh."

"Fang, come help me with the barbecue," Raymond said. Fang got up from the grass and helped his dad out with cooking the meats. Raymond walked over to us and swung Georgia up in his arms. "Hey there, Mackenzie," he said. Raymond was a tall, balding man with a bit of scruff on his chin. He always had a bright smile and crows' feet at the corners of his eyes.

"Hey, Ray," I said back. "How's life treating ya?"

"Oh, the office is as slow as ever," he said. "You know how it goes. I just wanna remind you that my hours are going to be changing again, for the spring. I'll be going to work later than usual."

"Yeah, of course," I said. In the spring, Ray's Skiing business get's less and less visitors, so he doesn't have to go in for as long to do paperwork. He was the manager of the Kokas Ski resort. In the summer, he didn't work at all, so I got summers off as well. "5:30 to 8:30, right?"

"You got it," Ray said with a laugh. Georgia was looking over her father's shoulder with a finger in her mouth, staring at the neighbors tree. A few birds were singing together over a birds nest and she was transfixed. "You wanna stay for dinner? We got ribs. Won't be done for a while, but you can stay as long as you like."

My stomach growled in response, and I so wanted to say yes. I shook my head.

"Nah, Mom and Aaron want help unpacking all the boxes. But thank you," I said, painfully declining their tempting offer.

"Oh yeah, how's the moving going?" Ray said, setting Georgia down. Her pigtails bounced up and down as she ran to Fang in her little pink dress.

"Uh, I'm not really sure to be honest, I spent the night at someone's house last night."

"Oh really? You made a friend so fast?" Ray teased me. Geez, I don't know what's with everyone thinking that I'm so unlikable.

"Yeah, I guess. Do you know Ella Martinez?" I said. I knew that Fang did, but I wasn't sure about his family.

"Oh sure, the vet's little girl. Sweet girl. She and Fang are friends, they've hung out a few times over the years."

"Oh, cool."

I felt a buzz in my pocket and checked my texts. Mom wanted me home.

"Hey, listen, it was good to see ya, Ray."

"You leaving?" Ray asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go, my mom wants me to help her unload the dishes," I said, sticking my tongue out in disgust. He laughed and ruffled my hair on top of my head.

"Okay, I'll see ya round, kiddo."

"Bye. Bye Fang, bye Georgia," I called over to them. Fang waved offhandedly and Georgia ran over to hug me.

"Are you leaving?" she said.

"Yeah, honey, I gotta go," I said, hugging her to my side.

"I'll see you in two days?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you in two days."

"Okay."

I turned and walked back in through the back door. I waved goodbye to Mrs. Worthers as she mixed up a red drink.

"Bye, honey," she said. "Look both ways before you cross the street," she reminded me helpfully. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Always."

I stepped out of the house and headed home.

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**Thanks for reading! I'm writing this so I don't have to do it later when I have to be working for my brother's party. :) Review! **

**What did you think of Iggy and his friends? :) Review who you think Max should have her classes with!**


	6. I Have My First Day of School

**Chapter six :) Read on.**

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Monday morning. The day I start at Kokas High.

I was staring in the bathroom mirror, deciding whether I should try to make myself look presentable or dress comfortably to get myself through the day. I splashed my face with cold water and looked back up.

Might as well dress in between. Which is usually what I wear anyways. I threw on a pair of faded skinny jeans and a red cut off tee. I made sure my hair was relatively tangle-free and then grabbed my bag.

Jogging downstairs I smelled something delicious cooking. I knew Aaron must have gotten back. He usually spent the night at our house, but yesterday he had to leave for some work related emergency.

"Hey, Aaron," I yawned, watching the back of his head as he lifted an arm with a wave. "What's cooking?"

"Bacon and omelettes," he said. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

I sat down at the island in front of the stove and waited patiently, mentally checking off everything I needed to have for school.

"You ready for your first day?" Aaron asked, setting a plate down in front of me with a loaded omelette and some bacon. He opened the fridge and took out some hot sauce and I smiled.

"Eh, I guess," I said, mouth full. "You seem happy."

"Sure I am," he boasted. "I'm dating your mother."

"Okay, ew, ew, don't even start! I'm leaving," I said, cringing. I shoved the remaining contents of the plate into my mouth and grabbed my bag, throwing it over my shoulder and leaving the kitchen.

"What? I didn't even say anything!"

"Nope! Nope." I said and left, shaking my head with disgust.

"Have fun at school!" he called over his shoulder. I slammed the front door in response.

Checking my ipod I noticed it was only 7:00. Ella said the bus wouldn't be here until 7:20. I looked around and the green lawns and budding trees in the gray morning. There was a bit of a mist, but the birds were singing and the gardens were colorful. I shrugged and walked over the lawn to Ella's house, getting my converse wet from the dew. I knocked on the door of the Martinez's house, and Ella answered.

"Oh, hey Max! Come in," she said brightly. I stepped inside and brushed my feet off on the mat. "Ready for school?"

"Yeah," I said. "I just hope I'm not completely alone. I know like... three people."

"Three?"

"You, Fang, Iggy."

"Oh, right," she said. "I forgot that you knew Fang. Well, Iggy will be nice to you if you're in a class with him. Like I said before, you have similar tastes in what's funny."

"Yeah, I remember that," I said.

Ella threw on a jean jacket over her green tank top.

"Alrighty, let's walk down to the corner to wait for the bus," she said. We headed out the door and down the driveway. "I hope you get to meet Nudge today! We'll probably come find you at break. She's really cool."

I trudged along the sidewalk next to Ella. "Yeah, she sounds it," I said.

We got to the bus stop just in time to see the bus pulling up to the sidewalk. Hopping on, I saw Fang sitting in one of the first few seats of the bus. He waved at us and a gave him a wry smile. We sat in the seat across from him, but none of us talked the whole bus ride. We kinda had that Monday feel going on. It was kind of awful. All I wanted to do was stare out the window at the passing trees and yawn.

By the time we pulled up to the school, I knew that it was going to be a confusing day. Kokas High was _huge_. A massive brick building with white peaks and shutters. The front steps were made of polished granite. It was beautiful, but really big.

"Do you know what home room you're in?" Ella asked as we came down from the steps of the bus. We made our way towards the front of the school with Fang on the other side of Ella. He really didn't say much.

"Yeah, I have Mrs. Masters."

"Oh, me too," Fang said. I nodded and glanced at him to see his reaction. His face didn't portray any emotion. "I'll walk you there."

"Thanks," I said. Ella pulled open the front double doors and Fang allowed me in before him. I'd never really held a conversation with Fang, let alone been in the same room with him for more than five minutes. It was interesting to see how he interacted at school. For the most part, he was still pretty boring, but sometimes he'd nod at someone in greeting, and others he would just walk by. We stopped at his locker for a few quick seconds right after Ella had split down another hallway. I waited patiently for him to grab his books and then we were crossing the hall into a door way.

I found myself in a large room, with relatively bare walls. At the front of the room was a large desk cluttered with papers and office materials, and behind that, on the wall, was a white board/cork board hybrid. On the whiteboard was a slew math problems, and on the cork board was a collage of fliers for school events, community events, you name it, she probably had an ad for it.

I followed Fang over to his seat and sat one to his left.

I pulled my schedule from a folder in my bag and glanced at it. This was the first time I really took the few seconds it'd take to read it over, and I frowned.

**White Day:**

**Block A-Cooking...Mrs. Fairlan**

**Block B-Honors World Literature...Mr. Amard**

**Block C-Algebra 2...Mrs. Shrute**

**Block D-Honors Biology...Ms. Everette**

**Green Day:**

**Block E-Honors Global...Mrs. Jaxx**

**Block F-Study Hall...Mr. Amard**

**Block G-French...Mrs. Pots**

**Block H-Health 2...Mr. Rivers**

Okay, whoever devised my schedule must seriously want to kill me. Or, I should say, everyone else. Cooking? Really? I'm going to burn the house down.

I suddenly remembered one time when JJ and I were hanging out, and she was on the computer, I was trying to take a pizza out of the oven, and I asked for her help, but she told me to wait. I got impatient, so I took it out myself, which was admittedly the worst idea I could've carrie out. I ended up burning myself and flipping the pizza face down onto the floor.

Cooking class is not something _anyone_ wanted me doing. Trust me.

"What is it?" Fang asked. A few students in green and white uniforms in the corner got rowdy and loud all of the sudden, and I ignored them.

"They put me in cooking class," I said. Fang had known me long enough to know that when I cooked for Georgia, it always turned out disastrous. They had to start buying meals for us to put in the microwave. So when his face betrayed him for a second with inherent concern for humanity, I laughed a little bit.

"Well, that's not exactly the smartest thing they could have done," he said. "Do they not do detailed background checks anymore?"

"I thought that was only for criminals," I said, drawing my eyebrows to the middle of my forehead.

"Oh, I just assumed," Fang trailed off. I punched him in the arm and we both laughed. So, Fang wasn't always boring. That's promising.

The guy from that coffee shop suddenly appeared next to me. Iggy, I think it was.

"Hey, Max, right?" Iggy said. "You in our homeroom?" I nodded an affirmation. "Awesome."

"Yeah," I said. He sat in the seat in front of me and stared at us after waving at some friends sitting in the seats next to us.

"Has Fang made a friend?" Iggy said condescendingly. Fang rolled his eyes. "Aw, he's made an effort to meet someone new!"

"We already know each other," Fang said. I tried to hide my smile at Iggy's teasing behind my hand. I think Ella was right, saying that Iggy and I would get along because of our similar humor. "She babysits my little sister."

"Ooh," Iggy said, nodding in understanding. A heavy set teach walked in and slammed the door. Her graying hair had tints of red in it, and she was donning a little too much lipstick if you ask me. I could see the bright red of makeup on her teeth.

"I'm taking role," she said with disdain, looking around the class from the tip of her nose. I smirked as Iggy straightened himself and sat down.

"You scared?" I whispered in back of him.

"Please," he said, brushing me off. "She's an old lady."

"Okay," I sighed, sitting back in my seat. I didn't let it show, but I actually had butterflies in my stomach. I've never been to a new school before. It's odd to be looking at a foreign home room, with people I don't have any idea of their names, staring at me.

"We just got a new student in our home room, so lets have everyone spout their names out of their nasty, teenager mouths, and get on with our lives." Mrs. Masters got progressively louder and more violent by the end of her command, slamming her fist down on the desk. I would've been surprised had I not known many teachers like this before.

"Hi, I'm Dana," said a girl that looked familiar. Oh, right. She was sitting with Iggy at the coffee shop.

"Caleb," said a guy sitting next to her. I nodded at them both in greeting. The list went on and on, and I recognized no one else. When I realized everyone had finished and was staring at me, I took it as my cue to introduce myself.

"Hey, I'm Mackenzie. Call me Max," I said. I gave a small wave and a smile, then Mrs. Masters spoke up.

"Okay, attention whore, lets all be quiet and listen to announcements," she said. My eyes widened in surprise. I looked around at everyone, and Fang was the only person who looked at me.

"Can she say that?" I mouthed to him. Of course, he just shrugged in response.

When the bell rang to go to class, I asked Iggy if he knew where Mrs. Fairlan's room was.

"Yeah, dude, I have cooking with her right now," he said. "You too?"

"Yeah. I really shouldn't though-"

"Come on!"

I'm going to skip all the gory details of cooking class. Needless to say, I burned everything I touched, hit some poor girl with a frying pan, and spilled oil all over the floor. Mrs. Fairlan didn't even say anything to me. She simply pointed out the door with a red face and pursed lips.

By the time English rolled around, I was feeling like the butterflies were about to tear my stomach open. When I went through the class, I realized Mr. Amard was a pretty cool guy. Definitely a teacher that could take some teasing, and being made fun of. Fang was in my English class, and then he was in my math class, which, honestly, wasn't so bad. The class was well organized. But I knew that my teacher, Ms. Shrute, did not tolerate any form of sarcasm at all, and by the looks of _Fang_ when I opened my mouth to say something snarky, I really should be opening my mouth in that class at all. If Fang was using a facial expression, it must be serious. My last class, Bio with Ms. Everette, was great. Ella and Dana sat on either side of me, trying to get to know me a little better.

Dana, the heavy set girl I'd see talking with Iggy, was really cool. She was a drama kid, so she was completely carefree and open with me. We talked in between Ms. Everette's note presentation about the school.

When the bell rang to go home, I can honestly say that I was relieved. Not that I had a bad day, but it was a lot to take in, and I had a pile of homework on my arm. I had to babysit Georgia tonight, which was exciting. Fang told me that she'd lost a tooth last night, so I'd have to give her something under her pillow when I put her to bed. Fang told me he'd be home around 7:30.

At the Worthers' house, I cleaned up from the weekend while Georgia had a nap in her pink princess dress, slipped a five dollar bill under her pillow, and then I started in on some homework. By the time Fang showed up and silently dismissed me, less coldly then he had before, I was out the door and on my way home. I got inside the house and had dinner with my mother and Aaron, and then I watched my favorite show, Supernatural.

It was around 9:30 by the time that I trudged up to my super cool room and fell onto the bed. I laid awake for a few minutes, trying to get my hair off of my neck in the heat of my bedroom, letting the events of the day sink into my brain. Then I fell asleep.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**I just want everyone to be aware that I have a blog up for fan art. I like to draw when I have writer's block, it helps me get out of the funk. So, I'm putting up some pictures :) I have a few sneak peak pictures too, and one of them is a need-to-see. Feel free to visit bbxtras dot blogspot dot com.**

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